House Democratic leadership endorses Cori Bush ahead of primaries

House Democratic leadership endorsed Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) on Tuesday in her competitive primary race against Democratic challenger and St. Louis County district attorney.

“Cori stood with the people of St. Louis in the fight for reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, and affordable housing,” a joint statement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (DN.Y.), Minority Leader Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (Calif.) reads.

“We stand together to support Cori Bush for re-election as we collectively work hard to make life better for everyday Americans and combat the corrosive extreme Republican MAGA agenda,” they added.

Democratic leaders also pointed to Bush’s experience serving on the House Oversight and Judiciary committees, saying she “upheld constitutional principles such as equal protection under the law, defended democracy and sought to expose far-right extremism.”

The endorsement comes a month ahead of what is expected to be a closely watched primary race designed to highlight the different factions of the Democratic Party, especially around the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Bush has been among the most critical progressive lawmakers of Israel and its war tactics. Bel, on the other hand, says hesupports Israel’s right to defend itself and pursue those responsible for conducting the October 7 attack that triggered the ongoing war.

The contest follows a high-profile Democratic primary in New York, where Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a moderate, defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), a member of the “Squad,” in a largely centered race. in the war in Gaza.

A recent poll shows that Bush could also be in trouble.

In a survey conducted in June by polling firm The Mellman Group for the Democratic Majority for Israel organization, Bush behind Bell by 1 point — 43 percent support to 42 percent — a difference well within the margin of error.

Bell’s performance in the recent poll is a notable improvement over the January poll, which had Bush leading by 16 points.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story